I had a fabulous time at the last fair looking at all the wonderful 40’s dressed fans courtesy of Le Keux Events, the fabulous area vintage shops such as Textile Treasure Seeker, Richmond Retro, Toadstool Vintage, and Second Hand Rose to name a few. But I found Vintage Vanity particular interesting as they were selling these adorable stuffed toys fashioned from vintage fabrics! Check out this adorable owl I picked up for Boy Blue. This little guy was created by the mother of a shop assistant at Vintage Vanity. If you want to get one of your own or find out more about other stuffed vintage toys contact Charlie at Vintage Vanity from  Tuesday through to Saturday between 10AM and 4PM or to contact by email go here.

Images via me

And here are some photos from the day …

Images via  WAVE Vintage Crafts & Fairs and by Textile Treasure Seeker, Katie.

For more info about the upcoming Worcester Vintage Fair see the poster below or go here.

Images via me

Jobean is owned and sown by the lovely and happy mother of Josie, Alice. Alice is so very talented sewer and finds great vintage and mod prints to create lovley bibs and bags for babies and children. I couldn’t resist when I saw her display at the baby fair and had to have some for Boy Blue ! After testing the bibs out on B B and his heavy-duty teething drool, I experienced first hand just how wonderful the three-ply bibs really were! I also realised they’d make some fantastic gifts for friends with little ones so off I went to the Jobean website and easily ordered loads more! Alice also creates fantastic bags ideal for little ones off to nuresry or school. We use ours for when  B B is off to nursery or on a short trip into town to carry his nappies, wipes, spare change of clothes and for some small books and toys for entertainment. I think it is great because it is something he can even use as he gets older for sleep overs at friends or to take to the library for books! Alice does a wonderful job at personalising both the bibs and bags too!

Aside from being incredibly cute and irresistable, the bibs and bags are reasonably priced. If you buy bibs individually they are £6 or $9 each (current exchange rate of £1 to $1.50). If you buy them in threes they are three fro £16 or $24. The bags are £12 or $18 or can be personalised for an extra £3 or $4.50. Jobean is based here in the UK but will also ship internationally to North America. Just contact Alice for the details on shipping internationally. Now get on her website, have a look and get your Jobean fix too!

Here are some more photos of the Jobean products we have gotten our hands on…

Images via me

For more Jobean go here.

Unfortunately for all my European readers and I they don’t ship internationally at the moment {Sad face}.

Image via Name Your Design

Image via Tristan

Sorry for my disappearing act for a while and no I haven’t been on the see-saw this whole time with my son. I have been working away as usual planning more photography sessions for the charity breastfeeding calendar and also busy with research. I still have lots of exciting information to share about some great finds from the recent baby fair and vintage fair in Worcester. I also want to share our family day at Clive’s fruit farm with you so keep watching!

Emily’s Balloon

One day, Emily gets a balloon. This balloon quickly becomes her friend. But what will Emily do when her friend, the ballon blows away? The eliquently described innocence of the story of Emily and her balloon and the touching and artistic images make this simple book a instant classic–like goodnight moon!

The writer, Komako Sakai lives in Japan. Prior to Emily’s Balloon she studied art in Tokyo, worked in textile design and illustrated children’s books. She is the winner of the Japanese Picture Book Prize. This is her first book in English.

Images via Amazon

You can purchase this book for a special little one here.

Image via iStock

I’ve decided to comment on this recent article “I formula fed. SO WHAT?” an editorial by Kathryn Blundell because honestly I respect any woman’s decision on how she will feed her child. My mother made the choice to formula feed myself and my three siblings. When it came to my time to decide, I felt that breastfeeding my son suited me best. I came to this decision because of my education, a scientific and medical background and after lots of research. Lucky for me, when it came time for me to feed my son, I had very little obstacles to overcome. I only experienced slight pain and discomfort during breastfeeding for the first two months but after speaking with many midwives and breastfeeding counselors I managed to minimize the pain with use of breast pumps, nipple guards and creams. I never had a problem with the ‘let down’ or producing enough milk, which I can only try to understand, would be extremely upsetting and troublesome for mothers who are trying to breastfeed for the first time.

Getting back to my issue with Kathryn Blundell’s article it is this, it appears as though she had a complete lack of acknowledgment for breastfeeding mothers and has made no effort at all do the slightest bit of research or fact checking on breastfeeding before writing her article. I’m not alone in my sentiments as I have had several remarks on a note I posted last night on Facebook (posted below) as well as finding numerous blogs which have been commenting on the subject (ie. Society is creepy (not breastfeeding)). I feel the Kathryn completely missed the point, that not only formula feeding mothers feel pressure, there is also equal if not more extreme amounts of pressure from society on breastfeeding  mothers as well. And her remark about breastfeeding being ‘creepy’  because the thought of  “seeing your teeny, tiny, innocent baby latching on where only a lover has been before”, is just part of her preconceived notions about ‘her’ body, but I am sure these notions have become another barrier for breastfeeding acceptance which it will have to overcome. Hence the importance of last week’s National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (June 21-27, 2010). When it comes to nurturing your child in our society it’s a case of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” It seems that whether you breastfeed or formula feed, random strangers on occasion feel compelled to approach you and impose their views on you and how you nurture your child.

My several other specific complaints with Kathryn’s editorial go more in detail into how she proceeded to put across her decision not to breastfeed and was posted in this note below entitled, I was a  formula feed baby who breastfeed…THAT’S WHAT!

THE NOTE:

This is in response to the recent article published in Mother & Baby, written by Kathryn Blundell. To read the article retyped go here… Lactivist

My reply to a mother who states ‘I formula fed. So what?‘

To Kathryn Blundell.. I agree So What? So What that you formula feed your baby…guess what so did my mother! I was formula feed along with my two sisters and my brother. The problem with your argument doesn’t really lie with your choice about feeding with formula but rather your proceeding to explain why breastfeeding was so appalling to you. I take offense in the fact that you never even state if you even dare try to or not with either of your children and then go on to remark about all the difficulties mothers have when you have never even tried to breastfeed yourself.

I must say as a mother who breastfeed for nearly six months, the first two which curled my toes every time he latched on, I never tried to make excuses to stick a bottle in my son’s mouth. He feed a lot and often and as a mother I felt it my duty to feed him. Was it an easy job…HELL NO! But no one should every go into parenthood thinking its going to be an easy thing!

As for your ‘HANDS OFF’, if you actually did your research you’d realise that breastfeeding will give you back your body faster than bottle feeding. Breastfeeding induces oxytocin to be produced by the body thus shrinking the size of your post baby uterus and tightening up your tummy. Many mothers who breastfeed remark that they can actually feel the sensation of this while nursing. As for my breast to my stomach, I think not! Age and gravity causes saggy breasts not breastfeeding! Simple exercises with five pound weights at home can help you tone up your bust line whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding so please don’t stop a child from latching on because your not willing to workout after your pregnancy and because you ate too many bon-bons and cakes during your pregnancy!

As far as your sexuality, get over your self. My breastfeeding never stopped the intimacy between my husband and I. Enough said, except for the fact that you refer to breast as fun bags, which tells me you feed into the degrading image the media has for portraying women as sex objects.
And this maybe another shocker for you, but having a glass of wine or two is not deemed illegal or immoral while pregnant or while breastfeeding. And after nine months of pregnancy two glasses on occasion and drunk responsibly should be enough to make you tipsy!

Why ‘FORMULA WON’ is just appalling. If women are having difficulties and agony while breastfeeding but want to supply their own breastmilk to their child, there are plenty of options, such as nipple guards, creams and pumps. And believe it or not, there is not that much drama involved in any of them. There are also options to speak to breastfeeding counselors or to join local breastfeeding support groups if you are needing advice and guidance about your breastfeeding. There is really no need to let it get to the point of bloody nipple.

I am in no way against formula feeding. I would never criticise my mother for her choice on how she decided feed me or the rest of my siblings. After all, my siblings and I all grew up healthy and normal. We weren’t any less intelligent than any of the breastfeed children at school. I was always an honours student. Breastfeeding and formula feeding are both good options in my opinion. I chose to breastfeed because I felt it was what suited me and my life best. I would never impose my choice on anyone else nor would I degrade theirs because it did not suit me.
Next time Ms Blundell please think before you publish, otherwise I say just keep your opinion to yourself!

To sum this up, I think it was very inappropriate of someone in an editorial position of a magazine that proclaims to support breastfeeding and is seen as offering quality advice to new and future mothers to publish an article such as Ms Blundell’s. It is even more atrocious that such an article was published during the National Breastfeeding Awareness Week Campaign. Now mothers, doctors, counselors and midwives have to work twice as hard to undo the damage of such an article, in which the writer thinks she has the right to voice her opinion with less than accurate, dare I even say, false claims about breastfeeding and the implications thereof on one’s body and health.

If you are interested in supporting breastfeeding mothers and helping to make breastfeeding become more socially accepted than please help by supporting a calendar which I am organizing, photographing and selling in order to raise money for the local breastfeeding network support groups in my area. You can find out more about our calendar, HEREFORD & WORCESTER BREASTFEEDING CALENDAR 2011, its design, the mother and baby volunteers here.

Image via me

]]> http://www.babybluetickledpink.co.uk/blog/2010/06/28/formula-feeding-breastfeeding-its-your-choice-but-lets-all-get-along/feed/ 0 http://www.babybluetickledpink.co.uk/blog/2010/06/20/playtime-in-paris/ http://www.babybluetickledpink.co.uk/blog/2010/06/20/playtime-in-paris/#comments Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:24:53 +0000 admin http://www.babybluetickledpink.co.uk/blog/?p=2402 PLAYTIME is coming soon! Playtime in Paris from July 3-5 this year. With hundreds of fantastic exhibitors, a garden party in wonderland, art exhibitions by Jennifer Bongibault, Laure Guilhot, Luca Schiller de Petit Rétro, and Marie-Cécile Lambry and workshops for children ages 2 and up!  To pre-register go here.

Here are just some of the wonderful exhibitors I fancied… I wish I had a chance to go but my schedule is tight these days. If anyone does pop over please share with me your experience and your excellent finds!

Images via playtime

Storksak & Babymel

Camper

le petit lucas du tertre

je porte mon bebe

Amoralia

bellybutton

]]> http://www.babybluetickledpink.co.uk/blog/2010/06/20/playtime-in-paris/feed/ 0 http://www.babybluetickledpink.co.uk/blog/2010/06/17/twigs-4-kids-keeping-you-green/ http://www.babybluetickledpink.co.uk/blog/2010/06/17/twigs-4-kids-keeping-you-green/#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:41:06 +0000 admin http://www.babybluetickledpink.co.uk/blog/?p=2400 Twigs 4 kids is helping to keep you green by offering not only a fantastic range in organic & fair trade clothing for your babies, toddlers and big kids, but they have also introduced an appreciation for you keeping more of your hard earned green in your pocket by starting a loyalty scheme.

By simply subscribing to their Mailing List {go here} they will issue you a 10% Off Voucher Code to shop with EVERY 3 MONTHS! Fantastic isn’t it! They also offer P&P for free with a no quibble guarantee!

Images via Twigs 4 kids

Images via Smallable

Here are some of my bright white picks for summer from Smallable.

Rabbits Mobile by Flensted

Mattress topper suspended cradle by Leander

Sleepy Pom “Limited edition” by Donna Wilson

Blue Tiger White Tee-shirt by Makie

White Leather Ballerina Shoes by Baby Bloch

Rabbit lamp by Egmont

Images via NEXT